Friday, July 31, 2009

Smithfield Cemetery, North Richland Hills, Texas

Smithfield Cemetery, North Richland Hills, Texas
South Entrance

In the year 1887 the St Louis and Southwestern Railway built their tracks close to the area called Zion in Tarrant County, Texas. As happened with many little towns like this, it was eventually abandoned after the people and businesses began to drift away and relocate closer to the railroad where a new development grew up. This new settlement was called Smithfield, for Eli Smith, the resident who donated land for a church and cemetery.

"By the late 1940s Smithfield reported 350 residents and eight businesses. Nearby North Richland Hills annexed Smithfield in 1958. The Smithfield name survives in several local institutions, including a middle school, and on historical markers at the Smithfield cemetery, Masonic lodge, and two churches."

1861 - 1865
LEST WE FORGETDedication to the Memoryof those Confederate Veteransthat Served the South withHonor Courage and Valor

Eli SmithTexas Historical Commission

(Mar. 11, 1848 - Jan. 27, 1879)

A native of Missouri, Eli Smith moved to Texas in 1859 with his parents. They settled in this part of Tarrant County, and in 1868 Smith married Sarah J. Hightower. About 1876 Smith donated part of his farmland to the community, then known as Zion, for a Methodist Church and cemetery. Residents of the area honored Smith for his generosity and community service by renaming the settlement Smithfield. Smith remained an active Mason and a successful farmer until his sudden death shortly before his thirty-first birthday. He is buried at this site. (1984)

Jim, thank YOU for your nice note. Sometimes I wonder if anyone ever actually sees my photos and comments about the cemeteries I visit. You have just encouraged me and I appreciate so much your kind words. I really feel good that a descendant of Eli Smith read my blog and liked my treatment of his family buried there.

Smithfield is a beautiful cemetery and even though it is between 2 major streets and in the middle of the little town known as Smithfield, you barely know it when you are visiting there.

Thanks, Randy, for the note. I'm so pleased that you and Jim Smith have found my post and are pleased with it. I love to trek through cemeteries, and especially love those in Texas. I'm not associated with the cemetery in any way, but felt that it was a place I wanted to record in some small way here on my blog.

Shiflet - a name I well remember from growing up in Mineral Wells. Your father was an inspiration to SO many of us in school with him as our teacher.

Hello,If you need to contact the Cemetery personnel directly, the number is 817-281-5278. You can email me at bscrooge@charter.net and I will try to answer questions about the location of the cemetery and take a photograph of a tombstone if you need me to do that. I have added 2 pictures to this post with the sign and front gate if that helps.Judy

Thanks Judith. I am 58 years old and went to school there when a child. I can assure Dianne she remebers correctly. Even when I was a child, it was in pretty bad shape. My grand parents are buried there, I understand my grand father has an nmarked grave there and I always wanted to put a headstone for him.

Does anyone know if the cemetery records still exist and how would I go about finding his unmarked grave. My father, who is now fairly old, said he cannot remember where it is, just approxmitaly and it was agains the fence towards main street. Any help would be good.

we have only lived in watauga for alittle over two years. we drive by Smithfield cemetry just about everyday.my husband and i always tell each other that it would be great to walk thru the cemetry and look at all the history.you can just tell by looking at it that it holds a lot of history. is it possible to just walk thru it at any given time,or do you have to permission?

Hello ~The cemetery is full of historical significance and beauty and I'm sure you will enjoy your walk through it. Unless they have had a lot of vandalism in the last year since I was there and had to lock all the entrances, you do not need permission to visit. I entered through the south gate. I don't remember whether it was a small individual gate beside the large gate used by vehicles or the larger gate. But in either case, enjoy your visit.

I visit this cemetary regularly and it's very sad to see that this historic cemetary isn't maintained. It's overtaken with weeds and it's not kept up. It's a shame that a cemetary that holds so much history has fallen by the wayside.

Hi, Judy! I'm a born and bred North Carolinian (from Kings Mountain), now residing in North Richland Hills, only a mile or so from Smithfield Cemetery. I drive by the Smithfield Cemetery quite often but have never ventured in. Our American Heritage Girls troop, however, voted to serve there for our service project this month. We will be helping to clean up the grounds and we will place flowers around and a wreath at the veteran's monument. If anyone needs me to keep a look out or special care of a particular gravesite, please let me know! I'll keep an eye out on this blog for any requests and I think it will send me an email if you make a follow-up comment.

I remember this cemetery well. In the 70s and 80s, I attended the child care center in the little red church that backs up to it. Over the years, I am 43 now, I have thought about the cemetery, but never looked into its history until now. I now live in Baltimore, but next time I am in Texas, I plan to pay a visit and explore its history.

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"Preserving our Past and Improving our Future" is the byline for
Mountaineer Heritage Park, an area of historical significance in the educational community of my hometown, Mineral Wells, Texas. Blogging about the members, activities, past and present, of the MWHS 50 Year Club and graduates of Mineral Wells High School is the the focus of the Mountaineer Heritage Park blog.

Everyone calls me Judy. I live in the countryside outside of the Hillsborough / Durham / Chapel Hill area of North Carolina with my husband, Bob. This year we will have been married 52 years. We both enjoy a life filled with grandchildren, genealogy, family, and friends. I enjoy blogging about genealogy, cemeteries, and my hometown, Mineral Wells, Texas. You can find me doing research, writing, or making preserves just about any time you call.